There has been an increasing number of students with learning disabilities attending colleges and universities over the past two decades. As a result of federal legislation, institutions of higher education are required through an office of student support services to provide accommodations and modifications for students with disabilities in order to receive federal monies. This semi-structured interview-based qualitative study seeks to understand how four higher education students with disabilities make the choice to “come out” as possessing a learning disability in order to seek academic assistance from the office of student support services. The foundation for this inquiry emerges out of the differences between the medical and social models of disabilities. The framework for the medical model places the individual with a disability as needing to be cured in order to have a normal life, while the social model of disabilities focuses on how society is constructed around able-bodied individuals without substantive consideration for individual differences – specifically disabilities. The data collected were analyzed using a cross-interview analysis of participants’ responses to interview questions. Because little research has been conducted in this content area, the research focused on themes relating to the stigma of disability labels, the choice to come out as possessing a disability, the role of the academic resource center to obtain accommodations and modifications, and the meaning of success for higher education students with disabilities. The stigma associated with possessing a disability while attending an institution of higher education can place additional anxiety on individuals who decide to come out as possessing a disability. The significance of this research to the fields of higher education and disability studies is to gain a better understanding of how the stigma that is associated with students with disabilities affects the manner in which they choose to access student support services and identify themselves as possessing a learning disability. By making the choice to be identified as possessing a disability, students can access academic accommodations and modifications to support academic success, yet the same choice has the potential to have a negative social consequence of being socially labeled as an othered individual. The outcomes for this research study can inform policies and practices relating to the self-identification that students with disabilities must adhere to in order to obtain accommodations and modifications.

African descent students often are subjected to pedagogical practices and curricula that do not validate their home cultures or their individual and collective histories. In response to this problem, many teachers implement culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) and curricula to address the needs of this population. Focusing on two African descent teachers in an African-centered school, the purpose of this qualitative African-centered inquiry was to 1) examine how the ancient Kemetic philosophy, Ma’at, manifests in their epistemologies, worldviews, and pedagogical practices, 2) explore how their epistemologies and worldviews inform their pedagogical practices, and 3) understand how their life experiences shaped their epistemologies and worldviews. A holistic theoretical framework comprised of Afrocentric and womanist theories and a CRP theoretical approach informed the “retooled” life history methodology employed in this study. The culturally sensitive data collection methods included dialogue, storytelling, participatory witnessing, and Afrocentric group conversation. Thematic and dialogic/performance narrative analysis techniques were used to analyze the data. The significance of this study is fourfold. First, this study adds to the paucity of existing literature on exemplary African descent teachers by bringing to the fore how the epistemologies and worldviews of teachers shape their pedagogical practices in an African-centered school. Second, this study explored the intended liberatory effects of African descent teachers’ implementation of CRP for themselves and for their students, ultimately affecting how both position themselves in the broader society. Third, use of the cardinal virtues of Ma’at (truth, justice, righteousness, order, harmony, balance, and reciprocity) as the philosophical foundation for this study presents an ontological alternative to privileging western philosophical frameworks typically used in educational research. Finally, as the ancient Kemetic philosophy employed in this study and as this study’s philosophical foundation, Ma'at specifically encourages policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to reexamine their notions of contemporary education in terms of its purpose, methods, and conceptions of the whole child. The findings illuminate ways that Ma’at undergirds the participants’ epistemologies, worldviews, and culturally relevant pedagogical practices enabling them to facilitate critical thinking, critical consciousness, and identity development with their students.

ABSTRACT ROBUSTNESS OF TWO FORMULAS TO CORRECT PEARSON CORRELATION FOR RESTRICTION OF RANGE by Dung Minh Tran Many research studies involving Pearson correlations are conducted in settings where one of the two variables has a restricted range in the sample. For example, this situation occurs when tests are used for selecting candidates for employment or university admission. Often after selection, there is interest in correlating the selection variable, which has a restricted range, to a criterion variable. The focus of this research was to compare Alexander, Alliger, and Hanges’s (1984) formula to Thorndike’s (1947) formula and population values using Monte Carlo simulation when the assumption of normal distribution is violated in a particular way. In both Thorndike’s and Alexander et al.’s correction formulas, values for the variances in the restricted and the unrestricted situations are required. For both formulas, the variance in restricted situations was a sample estimate. In the Monte Carlo simulation, the difference between the two approaches was that in Thorndike’s formula, the variance in the unrestricted situation was the population variance from the exogenous variable, whereas in Alexander et al.’s approach, the population variance was estimated based on the sample variance in the restricted situation. In the simulation, robustness situations were created from non-normal distributions for predicted group membership in a classification problem. As expected, Thorndike’s corrected correlation values were more accurate than Alexander et al.’s corrected correlation values, and Thorndike’s formula had a smaller standard error of estimates. Absolute values of the mean differences between the estimated and population correlations for Alexander et al.’s approach compared to Thorndike’s approach in robustness situations ranged from 1.37 to 2.15 larger. Nevertheless, Alexander et al.’s approach, which is based only on estimated variances, appears to be a worthwhile correction in most of the simulated situations with a few notable exceptions for non-normal distributions.

This dissertation explores parent-gentrifiers’ lived experiences of the school-selection process, including the social networking and the influence of those social networks in their selection of schools. School choice and parent involvement are forms of social capital, and such social capital represents the results of social networking and parental agency. The unknown is how this scenario manifests itself in gentrifying parents’ school-selection process in Atlanta’s Kirkwood and Grant Park neighborhoods. Gentrifying children’s absence in urban public schools is of interest as residential areas integrate, while schools (re)segregate. The research paradigm is interpretivist as it investigates the qualitatively different ways in which people experience or think about a phenomenon (Marton, 1986). Purposive snowball sampling is used to reach 30 eligible participants in two neighborhoods. The methodological approach is qualitative phenomenographic interviews. The research found five options considered by parent-gentrifiers in the school-selection process that are consistent with the previous literature: public school, charter school, private school, homeschool and undecided/not yet. The forms of communication utilized in the social networking were face-to-face, phone, e-mail, social networking sites, and texting. Participants varied by work schedule, neighborhood communication infrastructure, and level of social network in their forms of communication. Parent-gentrifiers’ approaches to school selection included: activating agency, social networking, operating in social spaces, their social agenda with regard to diversity, and their educational agenda with regard to curriculum, instruction, and school characteristics. The results show that while parents espouse racial and socioeconomic diversity, their choices in the option-demand system in Grant Park resulted in racial segregation among the schools. In contrast, the lack of formal options in Kirkwood resulted in racial integration in the public elementary school. The actions interpreted and ideas constructed in the process of selecting schools as a parent-gentrifier are of practical value to district efforts to understand the urban middle-class school-selection process. In light of increasing school segregation and student attrition, continued urban revitalization efforts and the sustainability of those efforts for many major cities in the United States is highly dependent on their ability to regenerate and maintain quality schools that attract the middle-class.

Alternative work arrangements (AWA) policies allow employees to select varied work schedules that are both conducive to the organization’s goals and to employees’ personal needs. Though common in the business sector, such policies are rarely articulated within American colleges and universities. Practitioners within the student affairs profession regularly work beyond the average 40-hour week due to the fundamental nature of their work with students’ co-curricular involvement outside of the classroom; as a result, the lack of work-life balance can result in high employee turnover which can be detrimental to an organization. Utilizing grounded theory, a qualitative methodology that allows researchers to espouse new theories to explain phenomena based on data, 14 student affairs practitioners employed at a large research institution in the southeast were interviewed to examine their experiences which emanated from the institution’s AWA policy implemented in 2007. The emergent theory collectively affirmed the importance of flexibility as participants indicated that they expected variations in their work hours given the unusual hours that are commonly associated with the student affairs profession. They reported benefits such as better work-life balance, increased productivity, reduced stress, and increased job satisfaction. Conversely, participants expressed concerns that AWAs were not consistency available to all employees and awareness of the policy was limited. They also experienced feelings of guilt and often felt the need to prove that they were working. Finally, participants recommended that AWA policies should be transparent, regularly assessed, and benchmarked against existing policies at other universities. Results provided evidence of how proven strategies used in corporate human resource models can be applied in a higher education setting, and the findings further suggested that employees and employers could greatly benefit from the establishment of formal policies that allow flexibility in the workplace through the use of AWAs. Implementation of these policies may provide employees with more opportunities for work-life balance, thereby improving job satisfaction and increasing employee retention in the student affairs profession.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) college students have a history of suffering from discriminatory, marginalizing, and prejudicial attitudes and practices on American college and university campuses. Implementing a critical qualitative methodology, this study examined the lived experiences of 9 out gay and bisexual male college students at an urban research university located in the southeastern United States. The study focused on three research questions: 1) What is the college experience like for an individual who identifies as an out gay or male bisexual student? 2) What does safety mean to an individual who identifies as an out gay or male bisexual student? 3) How does an individual navigate staying safe as an out gay or male bisexual student? The study found: 1) The presence of LGTB’ness is integral to the LGBT student experience. 2) Being involved and feeling connected to campus serves as a pivotal component of the LGBT student experience. 3) Navigating masculinity is complicated given traditional gender roles. 4) Classroom climate is a major factor for the success and safety of LGBT students. Reviewing the results of this study college faculty, staff, and administrators can begin to understand the unique experiences of LGBT college students; and through this meaning making process, higher education officials can learn what is needed to improve the college experience for this historically marginalized minority. This study informed what colleges and universities can do to better meet the needs of LGBT college students and ensure they have a welcoming and safe college environment.

The institution of schooling is one of the most formative spaces in which young people learn about gender norms and expectations. Rather than being a biological given, gender identity is achieved through gender practices and gender achievements (Butler, 1990/1999; Nayak & Kehily, 2008). This study was a year-long ethnography during which I observed an all girls’ after-school club. The club included 15 girls who were in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The majority of the club’s participants were African American girls. This ethnography utilized participant observation and interviews. Club documents were also analyzed during data analysis. My primary research question was: How was girlness conceptualized, perpetuated, and performed in an after-school club for middle school girls? Using critical theory and feminist poststructuralism, I investigated the work that goes into creating and maintaining current binary gender formations, and how this is related to race, class, and sexuality.

<p> Racial disparities have been, and continue to be, a major obstacle facing post-secondary educational institutions throughout the United States. In response to the call for institutional and external accountability by stakeholders interested in higher education, the aim of this dissertation is to provide an historical analysis of race and diversity at the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB). UCB was chosen as the focus for the current study because it is the flagship public university in the state of Colorado and is recognized as such by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE). In order to relay the history of UCB accurately, a wide variety of sources are utilized, some published and others unpublished, including information obtained from the university's archives. Data collected in this study provide evidence of the lower college admission, retention, and graduation rates of minority (African American and Hispanic) students when compared to White and Asian students at the University of Colorado Boulder. Factors that contribute to the success of minority students on college campuses in general provide a starting point from which efforts being made to rectify the racial disparities present today at UCB can be assessed and analyzed in hopes of creating a campus environment to which minority students are attracted, admitted, retained, and graduated. As the higher education community of scholars continues to embrace the crucial role of diversity on college campuses and as the use of race-conscious educational policy continues to be threatened, this study highlights the role universities play in the larger debate. As UCB has historically struggled to attract, retain, and graduate students of color, I expect that a thorough examination of the data included here will inspire educational stakeholders to find new ways to provide new opportunities for educational advancement for minorities and seek to erase all evidence of a racial achievement gap into the future.</p>

<p>This quantitative study examined the role that metacognition and self-efficacy, through goal-setting practices, play in increasing English proficiency of middle school English learners. </p><p> The problem addressed was middle school English learners' lack of awareness of the need to be English proficient before entering high school if they want to be qualified for the A-G college-bound coursework. </p><p> A 20-question online survey was used. Students at both schools were given a preintervention survey. This was followed by an intervention at one school, which concluded with a postintervention survey at both schools. Analysis of data gathered from surveys, along with standardized assessment, culminated the study. </p><p> A McNemar test was completed to compare each variable between the pre-survey and the post-survey to test the statistical hypotheses of this study. Additionally, percentage comparisons were performed to examine relationships between pre- and post-survey responses with both Likert-scale and time options. </p><p> Findings of this study indicate that, for the experimental group, there were substantial percentage increases between pre- and post-surveys, statistically significant findings in more than one area, and a larger percentage increase in English proficiency. </p><p> Findings indicate that, for the control group middle school English learner students who did not participate in the cognitive learning intervention, there was little or no difference between the pre- and post-survey results. These findings demonstrate the critical need for metacognive and self-efficacious experiences for Latino middle school English learner students. </p><p> The overall positive trends and the statistically significant findings for the experimental group can have a direct implication for strategies used in the education of middle school English learner students. In an age-appropriate manner, cognitive learning interventions, to include increased awareness and goal setting, can be implemented for all Latino middle school English learners. </p>

Šiame darbe analizuojama, kaip Lietuvoje aiškinamas multikultūralizmo reiškinys ir kokie yra multikultūralizmo elementai Lietuvos švietimo politikoje. Šiandienos globalizacijos sąlygos atveria vis platesnes galimybes multikultūralizmo plėtrai, kultūrų dialogui ir integracijai. Kaip ir kiekvienas reiškinys, multikultūralizmas įvairių šalių skirtingose visuomenėse yra suvokiamas skirtingai, o tai lemia nevienodas iškylančias problemas ir diskusijas jas sprendžiant politiniame kontekste. Lietuvos viešojoje erdvėje multikultūralizmo sąvoka įsitvirtino visai neseniai, šiandien ją matome ir kai kuriuose Lietuvos švietimo politikos dokumentuose. Pastebima, kad Lietuvoje multikultūralizmas dažniausiai suvokiamas primityviai ir yra menkai nagrinėtas reiškinys. Pasirinkto darbo objektas – Lietuvos švietimo politika multikultūralizmo kontekste. Darbe keliama hipotezė, kad Lietuvoje iki šiol nėra nuoseklios multikultūralizmo politikos, kadangi švietimo politika formuojama tautinės – etninės politikos kontekste, įgyvendinti multikultūralizmo politiką trukdo siauras šios sampratos suvokimas. Darbe siekiama atskleisti ir įvertinti multikultūralizmo apraiškos formas Lietuvos švietimo politikoje, išanalizuoti jos ypatumus ir perspektyvas. Darbe keliami uždaviniai: apžvelgti multikultūralizmo teorijos modelius, juos palyginti su Lietuvos ir kitų šalių patirtimi, atskleisti, kaip Lietuvoje yra suprantama etninė kultūra, išnagrinėti pagrindinius teisinius dokumentus, identifikuoti, kuo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The master’s final work analyses how manifestation of multiculturalism is explained and what the elements of multiculturalism in Lithuanian education policy are. Nowadays the conditions of globalization are opening wider possibilities for the development of multiculturalism, for the dialogue of cultures and integration. For that reason every manifestation of multiculturalism in different societies of various countries is differently understood, consequently it influences various arising problems, discussions and their solutions in the political context. The concept of multiculturalism has become stronger not so long ago and it is obviously visible in some Lithuanian education political documents. Noticeably, that multiculturalism in Lithuania is perceived primitively and is rarely discussed manifestation. The studying object of this work is Lithuanian education policy in the context of multiculturalism. The framed hypothesis in this work claims that there is no consecutive multicultural policy in Lithuania as the education policy is formed in the context of nation – ethnic policy. The narrow-minded understanding of this concept hinders to imply the policy of multiculturalism in everyday life. The work seeks open and estimates the forms of manifestation of multiculturalism in Lithuanian education policy, to analyze its peculiarities and prospects. The objectives of this work are to observe the models of multiculturalism theory and compare them with Lithuanian and other... [to full text]